2006 Utah Blaze Season Preview
Josh Fisher
Wednesday January 18, 2006
This time around White and the Blaze are working to be competitive in year one. They selected defensive specialist Kelvin Hunter with the first pick in the expansion draft. Utah also signed several of White’s former players in Arizona, including quarterback Joe Germaine and offensive specialist Siaha Burley. To peak fan interest the Blaze have brought in eight players that played their college ball in Utah.
Quarterback: Germaine seems to be the odds-on favorite to be the opening night starter. He was signed by White in Arizona to be his back-up, and was the first quarterback signed by the Blaze this season. He comes to Utah already knowing the system and is the only quarterback on the roster with AFL experience. In 2005, Germaine went 2-4 as a starter in Arizona and threw 40 touchdowns and just seven interceptions.
Jason Gesser should be the back-up to Germaine. Gesser played his college ball at Washington State and will be an AFL rookie in 2006. He has spent the last two seasons playing in the Canadian Football League. Tali Ena is in camp as a third option, but isn’t expected to make the teams’ final roster.
Offensive Specialist: Burley was a second team All-Arena performer in 2005, recording 117 catches for 1,542 yards. He led the AFL with 45 touchdowns and was named the AFLWA Offensive Player of the Year. His last two seasons as the Rattlers’ starting OS he averaged 110 catches and 35 touchdowns. In 2001, Burley was named the OS on the All-Rookie team.
Kori Ivy should get some time at offensive specialist behind Burley. Ivy played for Los Angeles in 2005 and recorded 20 catches for 200 yards in limited action. His main role for the Blaze will be the back-up to Burley, but he may also find time as a WR/DB. Rookies Hurtis Chinn and Troy Mason are also in camp. Mason played in arenafootball2 last season.
Fullback/Linebacker: Jermaine Younger is the most experienced player at this position in camp. 2006 will be his ninth AFL season and the Blaze will mark his sixth team in that span. Younger has rushed for 346 yards and 26 touchdowns in his career.
Kevin Clemens and Mike Hodges are also in camp battling for a spot. Clemens is a seven year AFL vet, but only has 44 rushes and 51 tackles in that time. Hodges is a rookie.
Wide Receiver/Linebacker: Tom Pace seems to be the front runner at WR/LB. He played for Coach White in Arizona and has grabbed 109 receptions over the last two seasons. Last season he returned three kicks for a touchdown on just 25 attempts.
Justin Skaggs joins the Blaze after an impressive rookie season with Orlando in 2005. With the Predators he had 33 receptions for 370 yards and three touchdowns. He should get some time behind Pace. Local college standout Emmett White may be the best athlete at this position, but is a little undersized at six foot, 217 pounds.
Wide Receiver/Defensive Back: Another former Rattler is the projected starter at this position. Orshawante Bryant joins Utah after four seasons in Arizona. He has 174 receptions for 2,196 yards and 39 touchdowns in his career. He also had 129 total tackles and six interceptions during his first four years in the AFL.
Luke Leverson should be the back-up to Bryant. Leverson has played for four teams during his five-year AFL career, but has 110 catches and 20 touchdowns during that span. Erin Damond is also in camp after spending 2005 in San Jose.
Defensive Specialist: Hunter is the only DS on the roster with much experience. 2006 will be his sixth AFL season and his fourth with Coach White. Hunter is coming off a 44 tackle, four interception season with Columbus in 2005. He spent 2002-2004, and expected to anchor the Blaze defense in 2006.
Kevin Moffett, Sullivan Beard, and Thal Woods are all in camp. Woods is the only one of the group with any AFL experience, spending the 2003-2004 season with the Colorado Crush.
Offensive Line/Defensive Line: There are 10 guys in camp at this position, including Hans Olsen. The Blaze traded for Olsen last December, bringing back to Utah where he played college ball at Brigham Young. The only other linemen with AFL experience are Bryan Henderson, Ronnie Washburn, and Scott Pospisll. Six of the 10 linemen in camp played at a Utah college.
Kicker: Steve Videtich is the only kicker on the training camp roster, but he didn’t report to camp. Videtich made 14 field goals in each of the past four seasons. Last season with Columbus, he was 82-of-93 on PAT and scored 124 points.
Coaching: There isn’t much more that can be said about White. He is already in the Arena Football Hall of Fame, and has recorded the second most wins by any coach in AFL history. He has added an AFL legend in Hunkie Cooper to run the offense. Lee Leslie is well known in Utah, and should de a good job with the defense. Flint Fleming is the team OL/DL coach and was a member of the AFL’s 15th Anniversary Team.
It is never easy being an expansion team, but it appears that Utah has done everything they could to be competitive in 2006. They hired a Hall of Fame coach, who has already built a championship team from scratch. Then they signed several players that helped him be successful.
Nobody knows exactly how this first season will play out for the Utah Blaze. They will play in arguably the toughest division in the AFL and against a schedule that includes the defending ArenaBowl champion Colorado Crush. Mix that with an inexperienced defense and you have a recipe for disaster. Fortunately for the Blaze, they should have a high octane offense that will put up points and be fun to watch. If Germaine can develop into a premier AFL quarterback, this Blaze squad should at least challenge for a playoff spot in 2006.
Josh Fisher has been a fan of the AFL for as long as he can remember. He followed the Arizona Rattlers since they began playing. Josh works for the University of Utah
as their head statistician. He is also the media contact for Klub Boom
Volleyball Club and the head volleyball coach at Park City High School.
